A Gift Befitting a Princess
by SplatDragon
Summary: The first in my one-shots written for NaNoWriMo. In which Jumin has a broken sarcasm sensor, and the MC discovers she married an idiot. And V's there to laugh at them, too.


**This Fic:** 1841

 **NaNoWriMo Total:** 3623

* * *

"What do you wish for, for Christmas?"

A man's deep, rumbling purr of a voice broke the comfortable silence that cloaked the spacious penthouse. At a glance, the penthouse was obviously owned by someone of considerable wealth. Real wood and expensive looking appliances and furniture overran it. Two people, a man and a woman, rested atop a soft-looking pure white couch. The man was dressed in an expensive, three-piece suit, clearly fresh from the office. His raven-black hair was stylishly tousled, his fringe covering the corner of a silver eye. He sat with one leg extended out, resting on a wood and glass coffee table, the other crossed over it.

In his lap the girl rested her head, eyes closed. Her skin was as pale as milk, a light dusting of freckles highlighting high cheekbones. She wore a simple white blouse, tucked loosely into a pair of black trousers. The man's long fingers carded through her elbow-length brown hair.

A pair of emerald eyes were revealed when she slowly opened them, blinking up at him owlishly. "What?" she slurred sleepily, nuzzling into him.

"Christmas is only a few weeks away, MC, and I don't know what to gift you. What would you like? I'll get you anything." He moved one of his hands to lightly caress her cheek lovingly.

"Jumin," she laughed, a sound like tinkling bells, "I have everything I could ever want. All I want for Christmas is to spend time with you."

Jumin frowned slightly, furrowing his brow. "MC," the way he said her name was more serious than before. "Of course I will take off so I can spend the holidays with you. But it's our first Christmas together. I will give you the world if you ask it." His tone made it obvious he wouldn't accept a negative answer.

MC snorted, and shook her head, allowing her eyes to drift shut as she rested her head on his lap. He gently shook her shoulder before she could drift off once more, and when she opened them her eyes were slightly tinted with irritation. "A pony, then," she grumbled sarcastically, "if you insist on this, I want a pony for Christmas."

Having said that, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, completely unaware of her husband, whom had a thoughtful look on his face. As she lost consciousness, he grabbed his phone from the side table and began to type.

* * *

That Christmas morning was a cold one. Temperature gauges dropped well below freezing, and the wind cut right through anyone fool enough to step outside. A sprinkling of snow dusted the ground, just enough to make everything glitter as though covered in innumerable tiny crystals. Even the sky seemed to shine, despite being a clean celeste slate.

MC had already given Jumin his gift (a beautifully made watch with Elizabeth carved into the face), and they'd sat down together to drink hot chocolate and share various treats. She couldn't help but to be curious, however, as he continually checked his phone. It couldn't be the RFA, she knew, as they'd all come to an agreement to not use the chatroom on Christmas and, instead, they would discuss everything Christmas-related on the day after. This way they could enjoy their time together with their significant others and/or each other, in the case of Zen and Jaehee, as the cafe owner still had yet to gather the courage to confess but had offered him a free meal.

At fifteen until two, his phone vibrated audibly. Jumin flicked on the phone, darted through the message, and leaped to his feet. He stepped forward, extracting the scalding hot chocolate from her hands and gently tugging on her wrist.

MC stood from the couch, watching him in bewilderment. "Jumin-?"

In quick strides that she struggled to match, he hurried to the coat rack and slipped hers on her, once she managed to catch the hint. He quickly followed with her ruby mittens, and then a matching scarf, wrapping it snugly around her neck. He urged her to step into her boots as well, taking the time it took her to button them up to dress himself in his emerald winter-wear.

"Jumin, where are we going?"

He ignored the question, taking her by the hand once more and leading her out the door. The executive director tugged her down the hall, and into the elevator. There she attempted to question him again, only to receive more silence.

If she was honest, he looked... excited, almost. A youthful glee softened his features; the corner of his lips was curled up in a barely-contained smile, his steely eyes had softened into something more like mercury, and he was even rocking slightly on his heels.

The metallic doors slid open, and he quickly pulled her out, along the plush rug, and outside. Driver Kim stood outside at the curb, reclining slightly against the door of the limo. Seeing them, he straightened, bowing low and opening their door.

Before Jumin could pull her in, MC tugged away. "Jumin Han! I am not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!" She scowled, and he was briefly reminded of an indignant kitten, puffed up and angry, with her hands on her hips.

The emerald-bedecked man smiled at her fondly, catching her about the hips and tugging her to him, kissing her forehead. "MC," he purred, hiding his smile against her pale skin, "I have a surprise for you. Please, just play along."

MC eyed him warily, furrowing her brow, but in the end shook her head exasperatedly, clambering into the spacious limousine. _"I tell him not to get me anything, but does he listen? No."_ His large hands suddenly closed around her wrists, pulling her so that she was leaning against him, half in his lap. He wrapped his arm around her head in a way such that his forearm blocked her vision. "Jumin?"

He chuckled quietly, the soft gust of his breath against the sensitive shell of her outer ear making her jump. "I told you, it's a surprise. If you could see where we were going, you'd know what it is. Although, you should know already."

" _How can I know already? I told him I didn't want anything."_

It was a long drive, perhaps three quarters of an hour, with many twists and turns. However, the smoothness that told her that they were still on the well-maintained tarmac, suddenly turned into a fairly bumpy drive that had Jumin adjusting his hold on her several times.

" _We must be miles out from the city if they don't maintain the roads; where are we going?"_

After a handful more turns, the limousine stopped and she heard Driver Kim's door swing open and click closed, followed by his oddly-muffled footsteps. The door next to her opened, and he helped Jumin get her out without allowing her to see where they had stopped.

"Only a little longer, Princess." Jumin murmured in her ear, and placed his other hand at the small of her back. "The path is a bit uneven, so allow me to guide you."

As they walked forward, she took several deep breaths to try and discern where they might be. The air seemed to lack any of the pollution of the city, no gasoline fumes choking her breath. Faintly she could smell flowers and... was that hay?

He tucked her into himself further, preventing her from hearing by pushing her ears into his coat and the crook of his elbow. They were close enough that the noises would spoil the surprise.

Jumin quickly opened a gate when they approached it, herding her inside. The metal gate clanged against the wooden fence

as he closed and latched it once more. Turning her to face the large building in front of them, he removed his arm from her ear, careful to keep her eyes covered.

"I am going to go inside to get your present, Princess. I want you to keep your eyes closed, alright?" Saying so, he slowly removed his arm from around her.

"Yes Jumin," MC nodded, clapping her hands over her eyes as he removed his limb. She could hear him walking away, and then the sound of a heavy door. The urge to look was strong, but she didn't want to break his trust or disappoint him.

" _NEIGH!"_

"What?!" His wife yelped, jumping slightly. No, no way, no how, she did not just hear a horse. Jumin surely wasn't _that_ crazy... was he?

"Surprise! You can open your eyes!" Her husband's voice boomed from in front of her, and she jumped again. MC jerked her hands away, only to return them to rub the harsh sunlight from her eyes. Slower this time, she opened her eyes.

And stared.

 _'Yup. That's a horse.'_

Well, horse wasn't really the right word. He looked to be full grown, but was just shy of her shoulder. So, a pony.

" _What. The. Fuck."_

It stood perhaps fifty-and-some-change inches tall, looking ridiculously short next to her giant of a husband. It was a mount worthy of a princess, with gleaming white fur and what she assumed to be a fine build. It wore a gleaming red halter and lead rope, held carefully in Jumin's hand.

As time went on and her eyes only got bigger and her jaw dropped wider, Jumin's wide grin began to fade. "Do... do you like it, Princess?"

MC looked at him for a moment. She desperately wanted to say: _'Have you lost your mind?'_ or perhaps _'How many times were you dropped on your head as a child?'_ Or even _'What the hell is wrong with you?!'_ But, looking at his proud grin and puffed up chest, she couldn't find the heart to. Instead she forced a wide smile onto her lips, and said: "I love it, Jumin!"

Jumin cracked a wide grin, stepped forward to offer her the lead. She took it in a limp-wristed hand, still boggling at the beast.

"His name is Sir Maximillian the Eighth."

At the sound of the familiar voice, trembling with mirth, MC's head snapped up, meeting V's gaze. The photographer had a purse-lipped smile, and amusement was written all over his features. She glared at him balefully, and he coughed to cover up a laugh.

"Merry Christmas, MC. Jumin asked if I wouldn't mind taking some photographs of.. _this_." He waved at the two of them. "Now, Jumin, step out of the way so I can get them both in the shot."

The tall man strode to stand by his childhood friend's side, watching proudly as V commanded her to look into the pony's eyes. She tugged on the halter, pulling his head up to meet her gaze. Intelligent brown eyes seemed to say: _"You've married an idiot."_

MC chuckled shakily and, as the camera shutter clicked in the background, whispered to the poor beast: "I've married a dim-skulled idiot."

 **This Fic:** 1841

 **NaNoWriMo Total:** 1841


End file.
